Midwestern niceness- it's a thing

Tracy and I don't always eat breakfast, but when we do . . .

My wife and I celebrated my 50th birthday by spending a few days in Chicago and catching the epic Notre Dame vs USC rivalry football game. That game has been on my radar ever since the legendary 1974 Anthony Davis comeback, so we went and checked that off the bucket list. I originally thought to spend my 50th birthday in the 50th state, and even started to make plans in that direction, but then I remembered that I really don’t like the beach! I like looking at it, driving next to it, and knowing that it’s there, but I can’t think of a bigger waste of time than hanging out on a beach towel looking at a big old body of water.

So we headed to Chi-town and saw many cool sites, including a boat tour of the lake and river to see the skyline and learn about the architecture here. We lucked into some tickets (10 minutes before curtain!) to go see Hamilton at the CIBC Theater which was just across from where we were staying, the Palmer House. And holy cow, the Palmer House hosted some huge acts over the years. Including Louis Prima & Keely Smith, Frankie Avalon, George Burns, Andy Williams, Sonny & Cher, Judy Garland, Jerry Lewis, the list goes on. We had a room with a Ricky and Lucy type set up with two beds, and we each had our own bathroom. That last part cannot be stressed enough!

Diggin' the Spirit of Troy

We knew that the USC Marching Band would be performing at Navy Pier, so we went and were blown away. That band and its leader should be designated a national treasure! They were great, they were cool, and have earned every accolade they been given. Tracy and I keep looking each other with that "holy cow" look on our faces.

We had deep dish pizza that was OMG yummy. We asked a dozen Uber drivers the best pizza place, and answers were all over the map.  Gino's East was too out of our way, Giordano's had too long a line, but Lou Malnati's got us right in . . . and the two of us managed to consume an entire pizza.  Well, it was a small, and we BARELY finished it! (We had the super delicious Malnati salad followed by "The Lou" pizza.)

But I have to say the bratwursts stick out the most. They do like their brats here. I had them in several places, including The Berghoff, but easily the best was at Notre Dame Stadium.

One of about a dozen brats.

Game day was pretty darn incredible. We got up early and jumped on the train at Millennium Station which took us to the airport in South Bend where there was a shuttle waiting to take us to campus. We were pretty awestruck by the beauty of that place. If there is any institution that successfully trades on its wonderful traditions, it is the University of Notre Dame. The golden dome was really impressive, and watching the bagpipes playing in front of the steps was outstanding. Touring the basilica with all of its beauty makes a heck of an indelible impression. We took a picture in front of Touchdown Jesus, which made Tracy feel a bit guilty, so I’m not posting it here.

We went to the bookstore to find a restroom, and who should be up there signing his new book but Rudy Ruettiger!  Tracy's favorite movie is Rudy, so we were giddy at the chance of having him sign a book and having a picture taken with him. Definitely one of the high points of our visit.

We saw the Marching Band of the Fighting Irish perform from the steps of one of the old buildings on campus, (Bond Hall), and to our great surprise and pleasure, they accompanied the rock group Chicago! That group never sounded so good than when it had the Notre Dame brass section backing it up! What a treat. And thankfully, they played their rock stuff, not those syrupy ballads from the 80s.

Rock group Chicago playing "Saturday in the Park" and "25 or 6 to 4" backed up by the Irish Band!

Thousands of alumni were found taking in the excitement, and some of these folks looked like they had some serious mileage on them. When the band played the alma mater, all put their arm around someone nearby and sang with reverence and soberness. Not that they were all sober!

Why students are called "domers."

Being at Notre Dame Stadium was really cool, and we could see touchdown Jesus from our seats. I heard someone say there is not a bad seat in the house, and from our seat in the corner the end zone I would have to agree. We could see everything and we saw a lot. It was a blowout to the delight of the Irish faithful.  Of course, sitting in the season ticket holder section made me was Irish for the day, so yes WE won big!

The team prayer before the game was shown on the big screen. A priest invited everyone to mass the next day. A professor serving in the army was recognized to a standing ovation. When the national anthem was sung, all stood and sung along. It is not hard to fall in love with this place. . . good ol' midwestern values.

While we had a ton of great experiences, the thing that sticks out the most is how nice everyone was. You’d have thought we were in Canada! Every person, every.one.of.them, that we engaged to ask directions, advice on sites, whatever, provided a little more than expected. On campus we were continually told, "Welcomed to Notre Dame." Standing in line meant chatting it up with folks in front of and behind us. Tracy and I were pretty taken with how nice the people were and the overall feeling of pleasantness. Sort of a bummer that you notice people being nice instead of expect it.

Cruisin' Lake Michigan

And this wasn't just in South Bend, but Chicago too. People weren't just more polite, they seemed to be generally interested in being helpful. We were asking someone for directions, and a lady passing by asked, "Where you looking for?" She then spent time giving us details, including a "shortcut down an elevator that puts you in Whole Foods, but exit and cross the street and you're there." Every time I asked someone for directions or advice, they spent more time and gave more details than expected. Like exactly why Lou Malnati's is better than Giordano's pizza!

The Bean, surprisingly cooler than you would think!

Chicago may have its reputation for crime, nearly 600 murders this year so far, 8 while we were there. But St. Louis, Baltimore, Detroit, New Orleans and Newark all have higher rates. They may be less genteel on the South Side of Chicago, (the baddest part of town), but the rest of the Windy City was just peaches and cream. We shall return!